"A business of high principle attracts high-caliber people more easily, thereby gaining a basic competitive and profit edge."

“The difference between a leadership and a command company can be very great indeed, because in a hierarchical situation, people who have concerns about reactions against themselves would simply not put forward negative information.”

“Decisions should be based on facts, objectively considered — what I call the fact-founded, thought-through approach to decision making.”

“A business of high principle generates greater drive and effectiveness because people know that they can do the right thing decisively and with confidence.”

“The business with high ethical standards has three primary advantages over competitors whose standards are lower:”

“I believe that in a leadership company most people will like their work. But the company will be an even more enjoyable place to work if the culture is designed to make it that way. Leading fosters a working atmosphere that stimulates an open exchange of ideas and fosters dissent. People should show a genuine concern for one another and treat one another with fairness, as peers and friends. With such an atmosphere it should be a pleasure to come to work.”

“... for all the reasons we have discussed in these pages, judgments brought to the board by leaders are likely to be better than those coming to the board in a command company. Moreover, the effective working relationships between leaders and directors in a leadership company further ensures the exercise of sound judgments for such momentous decisions ...”